---
title: "Kennismigrant (Highly-Skilled Migrant) Residence Permit in the Netherlands"
country: netherlands
service: "kennismigrant-residence-permit"
category: immigration
difficulty: complex
estimated_time: Up to 90 days from employer submission to residence document collection
cost_range: "Employer-paid; no migrant-paid leges on the kennismigrant track"
last_verified: 2026-05-07
canonical: https://publicservices.guide/netherlands/kennismigrant-residence-permit/
status: current
confidence: low
tags:
  - "residence-permit"
  - work
  - "employer-sponsored"
  - kennismigrant
  - ind
  - mvv
sources:
  - https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant
  - https://ind.nl/en/fees
  - https://ind.nl/en/required-amounts-income-requirements
  - https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/apply-for-recognition-as-sponsor
  - https://ind.nl/en/business-portal
  - https://ind.nl/en/provisional-residence-permit-mvv
  - https://ind.nl/en/checklist-documents-online-application-highly-skilled-migrant
  - https://business.gov.nl/regulation/highly-skilled-migrants/
  - https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/en/individuals/content/coming-to-work-in-the-netherlands-30-percent-facility
---

# Kennismigrant (Highly-Skilled Migrant) Residence Permit in the Netherlands

**Country:** 🇳🇱 Netherlands  
**Last verified:** 2026-05-07  
**Estimated time:** Up to 90 days from employer submission to residence document collection  
**Cost:** Employer-paid; no migrant-paid leges on the kennismigrant track

## Required documents

- **Passport copy of the highly-skilled migrant**
  - Where to get: Issuing authority in your country of origin
  - Required: Copy of all pages with stamps or visas
  - _Note:_ You hand this to your employer; the employer uploads it to the Business Portal.
- **Antecedents Certificate** *(Appendix Antecedents Certificate 7601)*
  - Where to get: IND form, downloaded by your employer
  - Required: Signed original
  - _Note:_ Required only if you have antecedents to declare or the form is unsigned by default.
- **Authorisation and sponsorship declaration** *(Appendix Authorisation and sponsorship declaration 7621)*
  - Where to get: IND form, signed by the recognised sponsor
  - Required: Signed by employer
  - _Note:_ This is the form your employer signs to act as your reference toward the IND.
- **Passport copies of accompanying family members**
  - Where to get: Each family member's home country
  - Required: Copy per family member joining you
  - _Note:_ Only if a partner or children apply alongside you.
- **Marriage or registered-partnership certificate**
  - Where to get: Civil registrar in the country where the union was registered
  - Required: Original or certified copy, with apostille or legalisation as required by the issuing country
  - _Note:_ For unmarried partners, replace with authenticated single-status declarations from both partners' countries plus Appendix Declaration of relationship 7608 and Appendix Questionnaire for residence with partner 7625.
- **Permission statement from the remaining parent and custody documents**
  - Where to get: Home jurisdiction
  - Required: Original, with translation if not in Dutch, English, French, or German
  - _Note:_ Only if a minor child accompanies a single parent.

## Steps

### 1. Confirm that your employer is an IND-recognised sponsor (erkend referent)

- Ask your employer to confirm they hold IND recognition as a sponsor for the kennismigrant scheme.
- If recognition is not yet in place, the employer applies via the IND Business Portal and pays €5.080,00, or €2.539,00 for a small business with no more than 50 persons.
- The recognition-as-sponsor application carries a three-month decision period and tests Commercial-Register registration, continuity and solvency, and reliability (three insolvencies in the preceding year disqualify).

> **Tip:** If the employer is already a recognised sponsor, this whole step is skipped — they go straight to filing your TEV application.

> **If this fails:** If recognition is refused, the employer cannot file a kennismigrant application on your behalf. The IND signposts alternative tracks — orientation-year permit (zoekjaar), self-employed permit (zelfstandige), and the EU Blue Card — for migrants without a recognised sponsor.

### 2. Employer logs into the IND Business Portal with eHerkenning

- Your employer accesses ediensten.ind.nl/group/zakelijk.
- Login requires eHerkenning level 3 (EH3) or higher; only recognised sponsors and their authorised intermediaries can use the Business Portal.
- Authorised intermediaries (immigration-services consultancies acting for the employer) need chain authorisation.

> **Tip:** If your employer is small and has not yet provisioned eHerkenning level 3, this is the procedural bottleneck — without EH3 access, the application falls back to a paper submission.

### 3. Hand your personal documents to your employer for upload

- Provide a passport copy and, if needed, a signed Appendix 7601 (Antecedents Certificate).
- If a partner or children join you, provide their passport copies and the relationship documents listed in the documents section above.
- Your employer may ask for a signed employment contract, a current salary statement, and your diploma for their recognised-sponsor records — these are administered employer-side and are not uploaded to the IND online checklist.

> **If this fails:** If a document is missing once the application is filed, the IND extends the decision period and writes to you. Verbatim from the IND: 'In that case, the IND will send you a letter.'

### 4. Employer submits the joint TEV application (MVV + residence permit) via the Business Portal

- If you are outside the Netherlands and not on the MVV-exempt list, your employer files the TEV joint procedure — the MVV (entry visa, Type D sticker) and the residence permit are applied for together.
- The IND states: 'apply for the MVV and the residence permit at the same time' and 'your sponsor in the Netherlands usually submits the application.'
- MVV-exempt applicants (Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, United Kingdom, United States, South Korea, Switzerland, EU/EEA) skip the MVV leg and apply for the residence permit only.

> **Tip:** There is no separate MVV fee on the kennismigrant track — a single €423,00 first-application leges covers both the MVV and the residence permit under TEV.

### 5. Employer pays the leges by direct debit

- When the Business Portal submission is filed, the IND triggers a direct debit from the employer's account.
- First application: €423,00 (covers TEV joint MVV-plus-residence-permit when applicable).
- Family-member residence permit (partner or child of kennismigrant): €254,00.

> **Tip:** The IND states: 'Your employer pays automatically by direct debit.' You are not asked to pay the leges yourself on the kennismigrant track; if a sponsor asks you to reimburse the leges, this is a separate private-contract matter between you and the employer, not an IND requirement.

### 6. Wait for the IND decision within 90 days

- The IND states: 'The IND must take a decision within 90 days. This is called the decision period.'
- If outside the Netherlands, you collect the MVV sticker at a Dutch embassy or consulate after a positive decision, then travel to the Netherlands.

> **If this fails:** If the application is incomplete the IND extends the decision period; if the salary threshold is not met the application is refused. Salary band thresholds for 1 January – 30 June 2026: €5,942.00 (≥30), €4,357.00 (<30), €3,122.00 (reduced rate).

### 7. Book your biometrics appointment with the IND after arrival

- Once you are in the Netherlands, book an IND appointment for fingerprints, photograph, and signature.
- The IND states: 'make an appointment for your biometrics.'

> **Tip:** Although the IND lets you start work as a kennismigrant up to four months without the residence document in hand, banks, HR systems, and gemeente registration desks routinely ask to see the physical card before they progress your case. Treat the two-week pickup window after the positive decision as the operationally-binding deadline, not the four-month legal tolerance.

> **If this fails:** Without biometrics on file, the IND cannot produce the residence document — the four-month work tolerance does not extend the pickup deadline.

### 8. Collect your residence document (verblijfsdocument) within two weeks of the positive decision

- The IND states: 'pick up your residence permit … At least within 2 weeks after your employer has received the positive decision.'
- Bring identification to the IND collection desk.

> **Tip:** Once you have the verblijfsdocument, register at the gemeente for a BSN if you have not already, open a Dutch bank account, and arrange Dutch health insurance — all three counterparties typically ask to see the residence document.

### 9. Optional — apply jointly with your employer for the 30%-facility tax benefit

- Your employer and you complete the application form together and submit it to the Belastingdienst.
- 2026 salary norm: €48,013 general or €36,497 for an under-30 holder of a master's degree.
- The Belastingdienst states: 'We will inform you within 8 weeks.' Duration is up to five years.

> **Tip:** The 30%-facility is a separate Belastingdienst track, not an IND step — the kennismigrant permit does not depend on it.

## FAQ

### Who pays the application fee — me or my employer?

Your employer. The IND states: 'Your employer pays automatically by direct debit.' The leges of €423,00 (first application or extension) is debited from the recognised-sponsor's account at the moment the Business Portal submission is filed. The kennismigrant class is structurally an employer-paid procedure; the IND does not publish a self-pay route for this visa class.

### How long does the IND take to decide?

Ninety days. The IND states: 'The IND must take a decision within 90 days. This is called the decision period.' If the file is incomplete, the IND extends the period and writes to the applicant — verbatim: 'In that case, the IND will send you a letter.' The recognition-as-sponsor application your employer files first carries its own three-month decision period, but you do not need to wait through that step if your employer is already a recognised sponsor.

### Do I need an MVV (entry visa) to come to the Netherlands?

It depends on your nationality. The IND lists Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, United Kingdom, United States, South Korea, and Switzerland as MVV-exempt, in addition to EU/EEA member states. Other nationalities are filed under the TEV joint procedure — the MVV and the residence permit are applied for at the same time, and a single €423,00 leges covers both. There is no separate MVV fee for kennismigrant.

### Can I start working before my residence document is issued?

Yes, for up to four months. The IND states: 'You may work as a highly skilled migrant without a residence document for a maximum of 4 months.' That tolerance is what the IND publishes; in day-to-day practice your bank, your HR team, and your gemeente registration desk will often ask to see the physical card before they progress your case. Plan around the two-week pickup window after the positive decision, not the four-month tolerance.

### What salary do I need to earn in 2026?

From 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026, your gross monthly salary excluding the 8% holiday allowance must meet €5,942.00 if you are 30 or older, €4,357.00 if you are under 30, or €3,122.00 if you qualify for the reduced rate as a recent graduate or post-orientation-year applicant. The IND republishes these thresholds every six months, so check the IND required-amounts page if your application date is in the second half of 2026.

### What documents must I give my employer?

The IND online checklist asks for your passport copy and Appendix 7601 (Antecedents Certificate). For accompanying family, add passport copies, a marriage or registered-partnership certificate, and — for unmarried partners — authenticated single-status declarations plus Appendix 7608 and Appendix 7625. For minor children, add the remaining parent's permission statement and custody documents. Your employer may also ask for a signed employment contract, a current salary statement, and your diploma for their own recognised-sponsor records; the IND landing page states: 'Your employer has a list of documents that you need.'

### Does the 30%-facility ruling come automatically with the kennismigrant permit?

No. The 30%-facility is a separate Belastingdienst tax facility and you apply for it jointly with your employer. The 2026 salary norm is €48,013 general or €36,497 if you are under 30 with a master's degree. The Belastingdienst states: 'We will inform you within 8 weeks.' The decision can run up to five years. The 30%-facility is frequently co-applied with the kennismigrant permit but is not part of the IND procedure.

## Sources

- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Application fee €423,00 covers first application; employer submits via the Business Portal; verbatim: 'Your employer pays automatically by direct debit'; verbatim decision period: 'The IND must take a decision within 90 days. This is called the decision period'; verbatim biometrics and collection language: 'make an appointment for your biometrics' and 'At least within 2 weeks after your employer has received the positive decision'; verbatim work-without-document tolerance: 'You may work as a highly skilled migrant without a residence document for a maximum of 4 months.'
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service, Ministry of Justice and Security](https://ind.nl/en/fees) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Verbatim 2026 leges schedule: kennismigrant first application €423,00; extension €423,00; family member of kennismigrant €254,00; recognition as sponsor €5.080,00; recognition as sponsor for small businesses with no more than 50 persons €2.539,00. Fees are valid 1 January to 31 December 2026.
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/en/required-amounts-income-requirements) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Salary thresholds for the period 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026, gross monthly excluding the 8% holiday allowance: €5,942.00 for applicants aged 30 or older; €4,357.00 for applicants under 30; €3,122.00 for the reduced rate (recent graduate or post-orientation-year applicant). The EU Blue Card threshold matches the ≥30 band at €5,942.00.
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/apply-for-recognition-as-sponsor) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Recognition-as-sponsor conditions: registration in the Commercial Register; verbatim 'the continuity and solvency of your organisation is sufficiently guaranteed'; reliability test (an organisation declared insolvent three times in the preceding year is disqualified). Recognition-as-sponsor decision period: 'The IND must take a decision within 3 months. This is called the decision period.' Application is filed via the Business Portal.
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/en/business-portal) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Business Portal access is verbatim 'only available for recognised sponsors and their authorised intermediaries' and requires eHerkenning level 3 (EH3) login. The portal address is ediensten.ind.nl/group/zakelijk. Functions: submit applications, view status, register or de-register employees, report changes.
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/en/provisional-residence-permit-mvv) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — MVV is the entry visa, a Type D sticker placed in the passport, multiple-entry. The TEV joint procedure verbatim: 'apply for the MVV and the residence permit at the same time' and 'your sponsor in the Netherlands usually submits the application.' MVV-exempt nationalities verbatim: Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, United Kingdom, United States, South Korea, Switzerland, plus EU and EEA member states.
- [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)](https://ind.nl/en/checklist-documents-online-application-highly-skilled-migrant) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Online-checklist documents for the highly-skilled migrant: passport copy of the migrant; Appendix Antecedents Certificate 7601 (only if antecedents apply or unsigned). For accompanying family: Appendix Authorisation and sponsorship declaration 7621, passport copies of family members, marriage or registered-partnership certificate; for unmarried partners, authenticated single-status declarations plus Appendix Declaration of relationship 7608 and Appendix Questionnaire for residence with partner 7625; for minors, permission statement from the remaining parent and custody documents.
- [Netherlands Enterprise Agency (business.gov.nl)](https://business.gov.nl/regulation/highly-skilled-migrants/) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — Recognition-as-sponsor employer conditions: Commercial-Register listing; continuity and solvency sufficiently guaranteed; reliability; sector Code-of-Conduct compliance. The Business Portal is the canonical employer entry point. Recognised sponsors are obliged to verbatim 'keep all relevant documents on your employee.'
- [Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax Administration)](https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/en/individuals/content/coming-to-work-in-the-netherlands-30-percent-facility) — accessed 2026-05-07 — _T1_ — 30%-facility 2026 salary norm: €48,013 general; €36,497 for under-30 applicants holding a master's degree. The decision has a duration of up to five years. Verbatim application instruction: 'complete the application form together with your employer. We will inform you within 8 weeks.' The 30%-facility is a tax facility separate from the IND residence-permit procedure and is frequently co-applied with the kennismigrant permit.

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Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state.
Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/netherlands/kennismigrant-residence-permit/